An extended jumper and two officers from Albania have been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) following an investigation surrounding the submission of false data to assist lengthy jumper Izmir Smajlaj qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Video games.
The AIU has charged the Albanian Athletics Federation’s President, Gjegj Ruli; its Basic Secretary, Nikolin Dionisi; and an athlete, Izmir Smajlaj, for alleged breaches of the World Athletics’ Integrity Code of Conduct. pic.twitter.com/qB6CotmbTR
— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) December 9, 2022
On Dec. 9, the AIU introduced that it had charged Smajlaj, Albanian monitor federation president Gjegj Ruli and the federation’s common secretary, Nikolin Dionisi, with disciplinary offences over a contest held in Albania in Might 2021, two months earlier than the Tokyo Olympics.
Smajlaj was named the competitors winner, with a national-record bounce of 8.16 metres. “It’s alleged that false data was submitted to World Athletics and the AIU in help of Smajlaj’s end result,” the AIU stated.
Based on his World Athletics profile, Smajlaj has by no means jumped over the eight-metre mark exterior of Albania. His prime 5 jumps in his profession have all been at competitions in his dwelling nation.
Smajlaj’s end result was simply shy of the Olympic qualifying mark of 8.22 metres, however he was given a spot beneath the “universality rule” that enables smaller international locations to ship one male and one feminine athlete to the Olympic monitor occasions if they’re near the usual. These athletes nonetheless have to supply proof they’ve met a sure customary to compete.
Smajlaj jumped 7.86 metres within the qualification spherical on the 2020 Olympics, however did not qualify for the ultimate.
Albania was certainly one of seven international locations on a “competitors manipulation watch listing” together with Turkey, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
